DIY
The Hidden Meaning Behind This Reclaimed Wood Tray
I never thought there would be a hidden meaning behind a reclaimed wood tray. Yet, here we are. To set the stage, we live in a colonial-era home that we’ve been restoring for the last four and a half years. Old homes should come with a warning. Not the “this house is a money pit” warning. Although, it will be. Not the “this house makes disturbing noises” warning. It does. Not the “people probably died here” warning. For sure they have. They were born here too. Not the “rodents have more entrances to your home than you do” warning. It’s infuriating. The warning old houses should come with is this…
How To Make Wood Heart Planters
Hello, Valentines! Would you like to see how to make the cutest wood heart planters today? You wood? Fantastic! I’m glad we’re all speaking the same love language here. Puns. I think puns are our love language. And DIY. But mainly puns. This planter is not going to make itself, so let’s get to work! Materials Needed: 1×6 or larger piece of cedar or other wood of preference wood glue small finish nails or brad nails jigsaw or bandsaw sandpaper Wood Heart Planter Dimensions: Opening: 4.5 inches Height: 5.25 inches (total, includes base) Width: 5.25 inches Base: 2.50 x 2.50 x .25 inches To print out a PDF of this…
How To Hang A Clothesline On A Deck Railing
We hung a nondescript clothesline on a deck railing and this has become one of my favorite practical housekeeping ideas! Plus, it was inexpensive! Clotheslines are a great way to dry your clothes and save energy but they can also be an eyesore or take up space where you don’t have space to give. Retractable clotheslines are a great option to deal with the eyesore and space part of this equation but only if you have the right location to install one. We did not. Instead, we hung a clothesline on the outside of our wood deck railing. What You Need To Hang A Clothesline On A Deck Railing: All…
Hide A Router and Modem In An Antique Radio Cabinet
What can you do with an unsightly router and modem? Hide them in an antique radio cabinet. Long before we got our entertainment via apps on our phones, radios broadcasting news, music, and entertainment were housed in ornate wood cabinets. Some sat on the floor. Others sat on tabletops. These radios became obsolete ages ago. Even I’m not old enough to have grown up with an antique radio. I had a boombox with two tape decks AND a CD player. I thought I was so cool. And modern. I see antique radios at thrift shops somewhat regularly for not a lot of money because no one really wants them. Even…
How Our Painted Metal Pool Coping Is Holding Up
Two years ago I painted our metal pool coping with marine-grade paint. It’s time for an update on how this painted metal pool coping is holding up to weather and regular pool use. First, if you want to know exactly how I painted the metal pool coping, read this blog post. It’s not hard. It’s not that expensive. It just takes some time. Overall, how is the painted metal pool coping holding up? The paint is holding up so well and far better than I expected. Wet feet, splashing, and goggles being thrown on the pool coping have not seemed to bother the paint job at all. We’ve even lightly pressure-washed…
4 Places To Use Brush-On Hammered Copper Paint
You’ve probably seen hammered paint of all colors in a spray can but have you seen brush-on hammered copper paint made by Rust-Oleum? It’s the paint you didn’t know you needed until now. Prepare for your mind to be blown intrigued. The hammered paint does come in a spray can version, but I prefer the brush-on version. Here are 4 places where I’ve used brush-on hammered copper paint. On drip edge metal flashing: You might have a small shed like ours that has drip edge flashing right below the roof. Our flashing was looking a little worse for wear and I painted it with the hammered copper paint. The paint…
$6 Update! How To Add Trim To A Metal Door
Do you have a boring, plain metal door that you’d like to jazz up? You can do that with trim and it’s easier than you think. No power tools are required. Let’s talk about how to add trim to a metal door. Here’s our door in need of a facelift. It’s not the plainest door since it does have a window but it’s not the most exciting door you’ve ever opened. It also had some peeling paint that needed to be fixed. Not to worry! Some elbow grease, leftover paint, and about $6 of trim will transform this door. Supplies Needed To Add Trim To A Metal Door: PVC Trim…
10 Tips For Building An Outdoor Ping Pong Table Using Cement Board
If you’re thinking about building an outdoor ping pong table using cement board for the top to keep it weather resistant then I have some tips for you! We recently built an outdoor ping pong table and learned a thing or ten along the way that, so far, the collective genius of the internet has not addressed. We hope that our experience building an outdoor ping pong table using cement board will help your build go a little bit easier so that you can get to the fun part – playing ping pong – a little bit faster! By the way, if you’re wondering if the ball bounces well on…
DIY Pool Maintenance Tool Holder For Leaf Skimmers and Poles
Today, I’m sharing the DIY pool maintenance tool holder we made to store our leaf skimmers and telescoping poles during pool season. Pools are awesome but they also come with a lot of stuff to maintain them. All of those pool maintenance tools need a place to go that’s out of the way but also easily accessible. There are storage options you can buy to hold your leaf skimmer and other telescoping poles, but when you have a problem to solve and loads of scrap wood in your garage, a DIY solution is definitely happening. We made a rack out of wood that attaches to the pool fence that can…
Adding To Our Concrete Pool Deck Ourselves
Patience is not one of my virtues but I did wait almost 4 years for us to add a 5-ft x7-ft section to our concrete pool deck. Yes, we poured that concrete ourselves. I should rename this blog “Gluttons For Punishment.” Another suitable blog name would be “We Like To Save A Buck But Dang That Concrete Is Heavy.” Thankfully, Handy Husband has experience pouring concrete and I’m a decent assistant as long as I’m not required to lift more than a handful of 80-lb. bags of concrete. After that, it is possible that whining occurs. It’s ironic that Handy Husband ran a concrete line pump when we first got…
